The present invention relates to electrical connectors for printed circuit board applications. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-point electrical power connector having a mating male plug and female receptacle. The electrical power connector features a low insertion force between the mating connector parts and a low voltage drop across the connector while carrying many amps of electrical power.
Printed circuit boards have become widely used in a plethora of electronic applications. As electrical circuits become increasingly compact, it is necessary to provide large amounts of electrical power to an individual printed circuit board. There is a need for a connector to provide large amounts of electrical power to a PC board while maintaining a low voltage drop across the connector to reduce heat and power loss.
Printed circuit boards are seldom hardwired into an electronic assembly, but are most often connected by tabbed ends, which act as a male blade for insertion into a female receptacle. For high power connections of PC boards to a bus bar an adapter is often mounted on the circuit board. The present invention provides a low insertion force electrical power connector for PC board connections within an electronic assembly. Many prior art connectors require an alignment between the male and female part to mate the power to the printed circuit board which increases the risk of a logic connector misalignment. The present design does not require alignment of the fixtures and misalignment in one direction still permits proper function of the electrical power connector.